WOUNDED

Canada, 1996, 98 minutes, Colour.
Madchen Amick, Graham Greene, Adrian Pasdar.
Directed by Richard Martin.

Wounded is an action thriller. It opens with two gamekeepers trying to put protective collars on bears, only to find the bear killed by poachers. When the police raid the forest, they are killed as well as one of the gamekeepers. The central gamekeeper, played by Madchen Amick, is wounded. When she recovers, she is menaced by the chief poacher. In the end, there is a confrontation once again in the forest.

The animal poaching theme is significant for Canada, and there are grim scenes of beaches on lakes with many bears killed and brutalised by the poachers. The ecological theme makes the film different from other similar forest action pursuit thrillers. Graham Greene portrays a former policeman, an alcoholic, who befriends the gamekeeper and helps her to strength again.

1. A popular thriller? Forest action, chases? Confrontations?

2. The use of Canadian locations, the beauty of the forests, lakes and waterfalls, trees? The bears? The musical score?

3. The title and its reference to the animals, its reference to Julie?

4. The opening, the forests, the collar on the bear, the sudden deaths, the poachers? The coming of the police, killed by the traps, Don and his being stabbed by the poacher, Julie being wounded?

5. Julie, the hospital, her being uncooperative with the police, the collages of recovery and physiotherapy? Her being befriended by the former policeman, her grief, with the gun, ready to shoot herself? His support, therapy, going to stay with him for protection? The hunter and his phone calls, pursuit? Her going out of the hospital to try to find him?

6. Her stay with the policeman, the intrusion into the house by the hunter, the shootings, the policeman killed?

7. Her return to the forest, his using his walkie-talkie to taunt and torment her? His ambushing her, rolling down the hill, over the cliff? The separation in the stream? His coming out, her confronting him with the gun, his taunting her with his arms outstretched, her shooting him?

8. Her future? The theme of the ruthlessness of the poachers, their dealings with drug companies in the city, the double-crossing and murders? The idealism of the gamekeepers and the service of the forest?